Asleep for four years. Accused of murder. They need to get her awake to face trial. Enter Dr. Prince, a therapist specialising with sleep disorders. His job to wake her up.

This falls into the not to often used area of being factional. The use of fictional material, with fact based truth.

This is a heavyweight book. Referencing a lot of psychological studies and findings. I know this for fact as I checked them myself. Cross referencing some areas.

Its very well researched, and the writing is just as good. It could very easily have got stuck in psycho-babble. The plot and characters are strong and are able to pull you through the harder reading passages. And some do get bogged down with technicalities, all of which are relevant to the story.

This isn't really something that you can sit down and read in a single sitting. There is just too much going on, and sometimes you just sit down and take everything that is going on, in.

This is well worth the read, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat, right till the very end.



Status: Completed

Rating: 4.9/5.0

I really enjoyed this. I am very fussy with my crime books and this one had me engaged throughout. I have read a couple of reviews that say they figured it out straight away but I felt this is one of the few where I was only a few sentences ahead of the writer. I enjoyed the variety of mysteries: the psychology; the sleep condition; the family event and the relationships Ben forged along the way.

Really enjoyed this. Lots of twists and turns and kept you guessing, although I did guess the ending eventually. But still a really good read and original, although a little frustrating in places.

Having murdered her two closest friends Anna Ogilvy then fell asleep and has been that way for the last four years. Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist who has been approached by the Ministry of Justice to determine if the methods he describes in a journal article will be able to wake Anna O.

Anna O by Matthew Blake is a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes and has your head reeling by the end. Using a variety of media, which allows the story to move between different time frames, we learn the background of Anna O. During an outward bound event she stabbed to death her closest friends and has been unconscious since. Having a history of sleepwalking, it is assumed that Anna carried out the murders while asleep. The big question posed by the novel is can someone who commits a crime while asleep be held criminally responsible? Alongside this other questions such as "Can evil be cured?" and "Is evil inherited?" are also posed.

Enter Dr. Benedict Prince, a psychologist who specialises in sleep disorders and works at The Abbey Sleep Clinic. Through this character, we are given lots of information on sleep disorders, the psychology of the mind and some historical examples of people who have claimed to commit crimes while asleep. All of this is done in laymen's terms to keep the reader involved.

Throughout I kept coming up with different theories about what actually happened, the motives involved and the role of different characters. At times I wondered if it was an act to avoid prosecution, at other times I felt there was some type of conspiracy taking place; at no point was I absolutely convinced I was right. There is also the role that social media has played in the case. Not only has it kept the story alive but it has resulted in two very separate groups, those who believe Anna O is a villain and those who think she's a victim.

The deeper the story delves into the background of the characters you realise that none of them are particularly likeable, the vast majority are motivated by self-interest, and this makes the reader doubtful about their actual involvement in the crime. We get hints early on that something has been covered up.

As the conclusion approaches the anticipation has you holding your breath, the sense of dread is palpable. There are lots of layers to the big reveal, just when you think everything is clear the author adds another twist. This is one of those novels that you want to discuss with others as it raises so many questions.

I have just finished reading this book that I was very excited to receive as from the blurb it sounded right up my street.

It started off well and then it became very slow and I am afraid boring. Even the twists at the end were somehow dull.

I am sure there will be many readers who love it but I am sorry to say that I am not one of them.

I would like to thank Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC for which I have given my unbiased review.

The first 60% of this book had me up late and was 5 star for me. It was engaging, interesting, and the story felt unique. Then the tempo dropped for me. It was clear what was going to happen, and I lost any interest I had in the characters. The last 20% is like a different book, and feels rushed out, and at odds with the first half of the book.

I was gifted the book from Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction via @netgalley and I was attracted to it by the cover. It is billed as *The instant global phenomenon.*Publishing in over 30 territories. *The thriller that will wake up the nation.

I can’t wait to see if it is a global phenomenon - it definitely has the uniqueness of story and the writing does absorb you, it just has too many layers to it that feel overdone. So starting at 5 stars, I finished it with 4 stars.

It’s published on 1st Feb, 2024

It's an intriguing prospect: a young woman who hasn't opened her eyes for four years, since she was found asleep with a kitchen knife in her hand, her clothes bloodstained, the bodies of her two best friends lying close.
This book is already a phenomenon that will be published in 30 countries.
Anna O, or the Sleeping Beauty as her followers call her, doesn't figure too much in the novel. As Dr Ben Prince starts to make progress in bringing her out of her coma at the luxurious sleep clinic where he works, the drama pivots away from Anna and into a rabbit hole of multiple red herring threads and sub plots that have you reaching for Wikipedia to unravel clues from Greek mythology, Shakespeare and Truman Capote.
I felt the book became a bit too clever for its own good and the pacing deteriorated to a plod. I wanted to love it but ultimately found myself thinking it was a fairly routine thriller.

Wow! This was one complex storyline, at times confusing if you weren´t totally concentrating, but a compelling read. Very intricate, very clever and the ending with Ben, Anna and Clara....wow!

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Ambitious and enthralling.
A holding place review as I’ve yet to finish it. That said, I do love the old fashioned feel of the writing, albeit in a modern day setting. Proof that this writer has done his homework and is widely read.

I enjoyed this book. Some parts were really engrossing, but there were a few bits that were a bit confusing.

What a lot of twists and turns! You start with Dr Ben Prince being brought into the Anna O case, a young woman who murdered her two friends whilst sleepwalking...or did she. Ben has the job of trying to wake her up in his sleep clinic with the help of her long term nurse, Harriet. You also get exerts from Anna's diary thanks to a person only known as @suspect8. I was hooked. Who is suspect8, who was potentially x? I loved the style of first person and diary entries, it made it feel more real. Brilliantly written. Would definitely recommend this book and author!

A cracker of a story that had me reaching for Google, and that’s a good thing.
Anna O is locked into Resignation Syndrome, yes that’s why I went to Google, and the plot revolves around whether she’s a murderer or a convenient scapegoat.
Can she be raised from her 4 year slumber, and give her testimony, or will she just be considered guilty.
The public have already made their minds up. It’s an infamous case.
The Sleeping Beauty found lying between two dead bodies
Some have reason to keep her from telling her story, but not necessarily because she’s innocent.
There are others that want her to wake up and talk.
Wow a real page turner that kept me hooked

A gripping thriller with unpredictable twists, gives you ‘The Silent Patient’ vibes. Lots of Harry Potter references for the HP fans, like myself.

Overall, any enjoyable read.

4.5 rounded down

‘Sleep.
Those little slices of death....’ Edgar Allan Poe
‘Death, so called, is a thing that makes men weep,
And yet a third of a life is passed in sleep’ Lord Byron

Do you ever wonder what you might have done whilst asleep? What we might be capable of? Ben Prince is a forensic psychologist and sleep doctor on Harley Street, he becomes infamous and inextricably linked to the shocking case of Anna O, otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty. Who is Anna O? What has she allegedly done?

I love the concept and premise of the novel with the author hooking me into the mystery of Anna O just as Ben Prince is himself. Add in cleverly utilised Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, Hitchcock references and Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’ and you have an immersive slow burner mystery thriller. Woven into this gripping storyline is psychology which creates an feeling of authenticity especially Resignation Syndrome which is well worth reading about. Whilst some of the psychology references might be slightly above my head, I think they are necessary in giving credence to the character of Ben Prince who is excellently portrayed, as is Anna O.

The story is told via several perspectives and in different formats which creates a multi layered mystery locked within a mystery like a set of Russian dolls. Each perspective drip feeds and adds to our understanding and yet conversely serves to deepen the mystery which is tantalising. It also builds an aura of threat and there are some terrifying moments. Ultimately, a deadly cat and mouse game ensues which is both shocking and tension fuelled. The suspense grows, there’s a web of lies to navigate as well as chameleon characters whose deception is breathtaking. Obviously, my jaw drops on more than one occasion with the excellent plot twists and the ending is the biggest twist of all - just the way I like it!

Whilst I genuinely enjoyed this and I think the world will know ‘Anna O’s name’ it does get a bit protracted in the second half. However, it’s got bestseller written all over it. It’s different, intelligent, fascinating and well written. What more can you want?!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Benedict Prince is a psychologist specialising in sleep and works at the exclusive Abbey clinic on Harley Street. Ogilvy has been "asleep" for the last 4 years. She is alleged to be the killer of two of her closest friends but she has not been awake since the night they died. Anna is being held at Broadmoor but now the Ministry of Justice want Benedict to see if he can get her to wake up so that a trial can be held.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book - couldn't put it down. Told from several POVs it kept me gripped right from the beginning - loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Matthew Blake for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

A real thriller full of twists and turns and a surprise ending. The story was very interesting and the characters were well written.

Anna O
By Matthew Blake

I’m always sceptical when a book that’s not out for 5+ months is brandished with the heading “the instant global phenomenon” because this book was waffle central and far from phenomenal read.

If we cut out the unnecessary physco-babble we could have cut a good hundred pages off the 400+ pages, it is too long for it’s own good, it is has more padding than your grans haemorrhoid pillow.

Initially I was really excited when I got this from Netgalley early, and I did finish it quickly but not because I enjoyed it, I just wanted it over and I refuse to be beaten by a book.

You don’t have to be asleep to work out “who did it” from about 20% in although being asleep would be preferable. obviously the book about a woman murdering two people whilst sleepwalking and then never waking up was really intriguing, but then spoiler alert she wakes up and it was basically 200 pages of pointless tension building that never went anywhere.

You read from multiple perspectives but none of them are really that interesting, sleep doctor Ben is just a one man pity party who loves Harry Potter references and is constantly woe is me and honestly, could have done without him in my life. His wife’s just as bad. The only half interesting character is Lola, but even then it’s a stretch and she doesn’t get much airtime.

After the murders are concluded (pretty early on in the scheme of things) there are a lot of side stories that never get closure, they played a vital role in how they lead to the big stab fest and then they’re just not mentioned again and it just feels like they were mentioned (numerous times) just to pad the story out. Because the pacing and story progression was an absolute cluster f**k.
“DEATH, SLEEPING, STABBY, WAKEY WAKEY, WHOS THAT CHILD?, SO SCARED, SURPRISE BITCH, FIN.

Now don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t the worst book I’ve read, and there were some enjoyable aspects to it, it was just very medical jargon heavy and after a while it just got a little taxing.

The concept was what drew me in, but it didn’t stick.

I was waiting for the plot twist to come and it didn’t, so when it was confirmed Person A did it all along I was just like ugh. Brilliant. That didn’t take much to work out. Unless that was the point and either I’m a sloppy reader and I’ve not picked up on how the book was meant to be interpreted or it was just really obviously written when you ignored the medical text that riddled the book.

The premise for the story was brilliant, but it just didn’t fully own it, the last 50 or so pages felt incredibly rushed to try and tie up loose ends and just fell a little flat. “I’m scared, I’m not safe, they’re going to kill me” repeat every fourth paragraph until the end of the book.

Yeah, don’t think this is going to be the phenomenon they’re selling it as personally.
If you like twists and turns go on a helter skelter because this was as obvious as 2+2=4 even thought the book tries to tell you the answer is 5.

Anna O has apparently stabbed her two friends to death while sleepwalking. Afterwards, Resignation Syndrome keeps her asleep for four years.
An exciting premise for a story, the book held my attention well until around halfway through when it began to drag. Sometimes the plot felt like it was going around in circles: the characters weren't likeable and just didn't click with me. There was a distinct lack of action and dialogue and the novel seemed as it if were made up only of the characters' thoughts that twisted and turned around a bizarre plot. Although it is clear that the author can write well, I didn't particularly enjoy this book and was relieved when I reached the end.
2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-book ARC.

Anna O- asleep for 4 years as a result of a traumatic incident resulting in the death of her 2 best friends...but all is not as it seems.
The story moves between Annas journal and the blog of someone calling themselves suspect8 as well as current day sleep doctors Bloom and Ben, who are tasked with waking Anna.
There are so many plot twists that it is impossible to review without giving anything away, but I did find the ending unsatisfactory- I needed more!

I’m not usually a reader of mystery novels but the description of this book sounded interesting so I took a chance.

It took me a bit to get into it but when I did I found it enjoyable. I did figure out the guilty party before finishing but there was a point there where I doubted myself for a few pages!

All in all a really good enjoyable book.